Normal
by Nega-X
Summary: Over a year has passed since the events in MMX5. (Yes, there are spoilers.) New mavericks have appeared and it's up to X to stop them alone. But who's behind all of this? This is my first Fanfic EVER, so, be gentle on your reviews. ^_^;


*+*+*+*+*+*+*+THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS STORY!!!*+*+*+*+*+*+*+  
*+*+DO NOT READ ON IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE ENDING(s) OF MMX5!*+*+  
(Or if you just don't care)  
  
  
COPYRIGHT INFO:  
This story and all original characters are copyright  
©2001 Jonathan Carpenter.  
All other names and characters are the property of  
CAPCOM.  
(In other words, don't sue me, k?)  
  
  
NOTES:  
This story takes place a little over a year after the events in Mega Man X5. For the sake of continuity (What's that?) I'm using the "long" ending from MMX5 as a basis. In other words, Zero and Sigma are dead and Dr. Light locked out all of X's memories of the red robot. The upcoming (as of this writing) MMX6 storyline is not used at all, so if you're reading this after it came out, just disregard its whole scenario ^_^;;. Also, contained within this story are alot of my own theories regarding Light, Wily, the robots, and a part of the connection between the original series and the X series. Alot of you will disagree with them, but hopefully at least a small amount of people reading this might think about it. Some of the info might be slightly incorrect according to the Mega Man legends (no pun intended) but hey, no one's perfect. One more note, this IS my first fanfic, and only my second serious attempt at writing a story, so please forgive me if my prose isn't up to par with some other works. There will probably be more notes at the end of the thing, so enough of my babbling, on with the story...  
  
  
(Normal)  
  
X saw a figure standing alone in front of him. It looked as though the figure was a mere three feet away from him, but it felt as if he and it were miles apart. X reached out to the figure, but it turned and disappeared in a flash of red. X could tell the figure had long hair, and was a reploid-like creature, but nothing else. He then saw images of blood and violence. They flashed by quickly, leaving X dazed. Then a silhouette of a head appeared before him. It looked strangely familiar... It began to swell, getting bigger and bigger in his vision. Was it growing? No, it was coming at him. X put his arms up in defense and screamed.  
X woke with a start to the sound of his communicator bleep. He was out of breath and very disoriented. Finally, a voice came through.  
"X! X, are you there?"  
X composed himself enough to respond. "Y-yes commander, what is it?"  
"We've got new mavericks." Signas said.  
"How? The new technology is--!"  
"They're all over the place. They're powerful, too. I don't know how they came to be, but I do know one thing - we have to stop them! And X, I'm sending you out on what may be your final mission."  
"What? Why's that?"  
"Because of the long peace we've had and Dr. Cain's new chip, the government is disbanding the maverick hunters. Even with this newest incident, I guess they feel we aren't of use anymore. Anyway, this information is secret, even I'm not supposed to know about it, so don't mention it to anyone. I just thought you should know." Signas cleared his throat. "Now, meet me in C&C in an hour."  
"An hour?"  
"We need to wait for your new partner to arrive."  
"New partner?" Signas had already clicked off the communicator. X sat, confused. The maverick hunters were disbanding? What did the commander mean about a new partner?  
The dreams he had were becoming more and more frequent, even disturbing his waking life, what little of it there was. The truth was that without mavericks to fight, X had started to feel useless. Even after the Eurasia colony drop, he had continued to fight weaker reploids alone, but they were all gone now. Half of the human population was gone, as well as a third of the reploids. Added to this was the fact that the surviving reploid creator Dr. Cain had invented a new chip to completely block out all short circuits and errors that might cause a robotic citizen to go insane. Though X had been a long advocator of peace, he simply felt bored. And this would be his last mission. What would he do then?  
X shook his head. It was as if he were in a state of depression. He got to his feet and walked out to the hallway.   
  
  
A strange figure loomed over what looked like an operating table. Only this table wasn't for humans, it was for robots. The shadowy man moved about, adding and changing various things to the insides of what he was working on. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, his fingers slightly touching his bushy moustache.  
"Hee hee hee! It's almost complete. This will be your new ally, my evil creation."  
Another voice came from the shadows. "I don't need help. I can do this job with my blaster tied behind my back."  
"Yes. Yes, I'm certain that you could. But you shouldn't underestimate your enemy. He is stronger than you know."  
The other merely gave a grunt and looked down at the doctor's newest creation. It certainly was... Beautiful.  
  
  
No sooner had five minutes passed than X's new partner appeared. It was a female reploid, humanoid. Her main color was a deep yellow, but she also had some dark blue around her joints. In her left hand she carried a long, red rod which had a small opening on one end. She introduced herself to X.  
"Hi, I'm Lyla." She offered a hand.  
X ignored her offered hand, instead looking to Signas.  
After a short pause, Signas cleared his throat loudly. "Lyla is a very capable hunter, X. She's the best of the best, well, besides you. She obeys orders well and will be a tremendously useful ally. Well, enough of my praises, we should start getting to business. We're ahead of schedule, thanks to Miss Lyla's early arrival. Let me go over some of the mavericks you'll want to tackle first. These mavericks are attacking densely populated areas, and must be stopped immediately.  
"The first is a newly rebuilt version of an old reploid. Armored Armadillo A. He has more armor than the previous version, but the same kind of weapon should work against him. He is located under the main city.  
"The second is Storm Hawk. He's taken to the air in a large battleship.  
"Third, we have Ice Seal. He plans on destroying the water treatment plant.  
"Fire Gila. He's near the main oil refinery in this sector.  
"Watts Felis. She's hitting the power plant.  
"Ballistic Eel. He's attacking the main seaport of this continent.  
"Lichen Hyphae. He's trying to destroy the major crop fields.  
"Last but not least, Hunter Forth. He's occupying the main tower lab.  
"There are others, but these eight are the major threats right now. Well, that's it for the briefing. Oh, and because the teleporter's... down for repairs, you'll have to take a transport ship. Now let's get to it!"  
X and Lyla nodded to Signas.  
"X, which one are we going to fight first?"  
"'We' aren't going to fight anyone. I work alone. Always have, always will." He started to walk to the hangar.  
"X! What do you think you're doing?" Signas raised his voice. X ignored his commander and continued on, not even looking back. Lyla followed, staying a small distance away from the blue robot.  
  
  
"Excellent. It's finally done! She will be able to help you greatly, hee hee hee." The scientist closed a small hatch in the main body of his creation and locked it into place.  
"I still don't understand why you made it female. More work for less effectiveness, I say."  
"Say what you want, but her form will be very useful to us when the time comes. When I activate her, I want you to train her. She must be able to stand against that robot for longer than a usual 'maverick'."  
"But can't you just program in the battle data?"  
"Do as I say without question!"  
The other sighed. "Yes, sir." He turned and walked out of the laboratory, obviously annoyed.   
  
  
X jumped into a small transport ship and sat in the pilot's chair. He pushed a few buttons, then stopped when Lyla sat next to him.  
"What are you doing here? I said I work alone."  
"Then think of me as an observer. I have my orders to accompany you on your mission and that's what I'll do whether you like it or not."  
X stared at her. After awhile he sighed and pushed a green button on his console, then leaned back in his seat. With the autopilot on, the flight wouldn't last long.  
"So, X, where are you from?" Lyla turned her head towards X. After getting no response, she tried again. "At least talk to me. We're going to be on this mission for a while." After a long pause, X finally spoke up.  
"I don't know."  
"You don't know where you're from? Who made you then, Dr. Cain?"  
"No. Dr. Light made me, I think."  
"Alright then at least we're getting somewhere. Who's Dr. Light?"  
"I don't know."  
"You don't...? Fine, if you don't want to talk about yourself then I'll talk."  
"I am a second generation reploid. I was made specifically for maverick hunting. My first unit was the 14th. I was in that unit when Magma Dragoon went maverick. He was a good leader." She looked down, her expression becoming serious. She turned her head away from X and sighed.  
"It was my job." X frowned. He had killed Dragoon during the Repliforce incident.  
"I know that. I don't blame you. I can only hope that Dr. Cain's new technology will continue to work." She looked back at X and smiled. "At least he was killed by someone like you, and not any of those weaker hunters. That thought puts me at ease, just a bit."  
X cleared his throat. "Well, I'm not that strong..."  
"Don't be so modest. You're one of the strongest hunters ever. It's just a shame that..." She caught herself in time. "Well, nevermind about that."  
"About what?" He gave her a strange look.  
"Hey, it looks like we're here. Let's get ready." She climbed out of her seat and into the back area.  
X blinked. She was hiding something from him. What was it?Immediately his mind flashed to his nightmare. He saw the long-haired reploid, only now the figure had more detail. He could almost see a face...  
"Hey, X! You ready?" Her question snapped X out of his trance.  
"Uh, yeah. Let's go."  
  
  
When they disembarked to the airship, they noticed one very important thing - there were no hatches. They would have to find another way into the ship.  
"We'll have to go in through the hangars at the bottom of the ship." X scowled at the thought of more tricky jumps. Those were the least favorite part of his job.  
They found a moving platform and boarded it. Soon, they were on their way to a plethora of platforms. X sighed and looked back at Lyla, who was just behind him.  
"I'm ready!"  
They started jumping from platform to platform, hitting some malfunctioning ones that gave way when they landed on them. When they finally made it to the hangar, X immediately dashed into the ship.  
They fought easily through some basic enemies. Some that flew, some that walked, some were turrets. X, of course, used his X-Buster, while Lyla used her beam spear. Eventually, they came to the sealed door that led to Storm Hawk.  
X entered, with Lyla following. The maverick stood there, waiting for them.  
"You've finally made it. Don't get too cocky, now." With that, Hawk flew up to the ceiling and started to drop bombs on Lyla.  
X, meanwhile, was kicking up the wall behind the reploid. He aimed his buster and fired, hitting it. The maverick fell and hit the deck hard. X jumped off the wall and fired again, but missed.  
Lyla rushed at the fallen maverick and stabbed it in the gut as he rose to his feet. Hawk stumbled back, but lifted his arm to fire a wind blast at her. She couldn't dodge and was blown back. She hit the wall with a loud thud and fell to the ground. At the same time, X fired another shot at Hawk's back. Hawk noticed it, but it was too late. He got caught in the blast and started to destruct.  
Hawk was destroyed in several small explosions, followed by a large, bright flash. X quickly acquired Hawk's power, then looked to Lyla.  
"You OK?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I'm not used to fighting mavericks like him." She stood up and brushed herself off.  
"You'll do better next time. Let's go." X walked past Lyla, heading for the exit.  
"Now we'll fight Fire Gila, right?" Lyla brushed herself off and went after X.  
  
  
The room was large, but very dark. The only door to the room opened, and in stepped two robots. One had very dark black armor, with gold highlights. His armor was a bit ornate, and looked very strong. His helmet gave off a shadow that hid most of his face. The other's armor was similarly colored, but she was not as tall as her friend, and her armor formed a type of dress. She had long, blonde hair tied up in a pony tail that swayed when she walked.  
She looked up to the other and smiled innocently. "So what are we doing here?" Her voice was cheery. The other growled.  
"Didn't I already tell you? I'm going to teach you how to fight. Now get in the center of the room. NOW." He pushed her towards the center, then folded his arms.  
"Why do I have to fight?" She frowned at him and tilted her head.  
"The doctor gave me an order to teach you how to fight, and that's what I'm going to do. Nothing more, nothing less. Now get in the center of the room, Roll."  
"Alright. You don't have to be so mean." She moved to the center and waited. Soon, a spotlight appeared and illuminated a small met, about twenty feet to her right. She turned to face it.  
"Destroy that robot. Use your blaster."  
"But why? It hasn't done anything to me." She had a worried look on her face, which only made the other angrier.  
"It wants to destroy you, so you have to destroy it first. Now destroy the robot!" He raised his voice to the point of yelling. The doctor's newest creation was turning out to be a weakling.  
She pointed her blaster towards the met and fired, killing it in one blast.  
"Good. Now, destroy all of these..." More lights came on and more mets appeared. They started to attack Roll, who was dodging and jumping to avoid them.  
"Help! They'll kill me!" She ran to the other robot and looked up at him. He growled loudly.  
"You must kill everything that wants to kill you. Kill or be killed is the way it goes. Now destroy all of those robots!" He looked at the mets. He now noticed that there were definitely more than the other could handle.  
"Push her towards them." The doctor's voice could be heard coming from speakers attached to the ceiling.  
"But there are more than she can..."  
"Do it!"  
The robot gently pushed her toward the mets, but Roll fought him.  
"Shove her into the mets now!" The doctor was becoming angry.  
The reploid hesitated, then shoved her toward the small mechanoids, who quickly surrounded her and began their attack.   
One of the small bots knocked Roll over and began hitting her. She screamed as more and more of them piled on.  
The robot shook his head. "I should stop this now." He walked to the main console, but was stopped by a force field. "What--?"  
"Don't touch those controls." The doctor grinned evilly.  
"But she's not able to win with that many things attacking her! She'll get damaged badly, even die!" Why was he saying this? He didn't care if another reploid was killed. He himself had murdered many. Was it some kind of programming glitch? He actually felt for that girl. But reploids didn't have the same kind of emotions as humans. He shook his head and looked up to see the doctor in his control room. The scientist was staring at the violence that was happening in the room. He took a step towards Roll, but then stopped when he heard the doctor's voice again.  
"Do nothing. That is a direct order from your creator." The robot gritted his teeth and growled.  
Roll screamed again, and this triggered a response. The other robot dashed towards her and fired several shots at the surrounding mets, opening a path through them. He reached roll and pried some other automatons off of her. He took her hand and pulled her toward him, then dashed from the robots. He set Roll down, then turned to face the small creatures and started to charge his blaster.  
The smaller things came toward him, though they did not really see him. Instead, they only saw Roll, the one who they were programmed to attack. The robot fired his charged shot at the robots, ending their programming forever.  
Roll was curled up, shaking. She had several large wounds and many smaller cuts on her. The other robot looked up at the doctor, but saw that he had left the control booth. The doctor was going to punish him severely for this, he knew it. Perhaps it had been a mistake to save the girl. The doctor said she would be needed. Why would he try to kill her?  
  
  
Fire Gila was destroyed in several small explosions, just like any other reploid. Lyla and X had soot all over them, and both were out of breath.  
"Are you OK, X?" Lyla looked at him with a worried expression.  
"I'm fine." X looked around the room. It was almost completely red, most likely from the heat of the small volcano they were in. Red, like the image in his dream. Was it red? He closed his eyes and pictured it. Yes, it was red, with blonde hair and green eyes. He still couldn't picture the rest of its face. He had other thoughts as well, a single number, a green energy blade. What did all this mean? "Let's go." X and Lyla walked back to the transport.  
"I guess we should go fight Ice Seal now," said Lyla as X activated the thrusters. "X, why are you acting like this?" Lyla shifted in her seat, and faced X directly.  
"It's nothing." X concentrated on the control panels.  
"It's not nothing. Tell me, X."  
X hesitated, then started to talk.  
"The maverick hunters are disbanding. After this mission, it's over."  
"But why?"  
"Because of Dr. Cain's new chip, there's no need for us anymore. Alot of the others are getting new programming and moving on to other jobs. But..."  
"What?"  
"I can't get new programming. I've been fighting mavericks for most of my life. I don't know much else. I'll be completely useless. Anyway, we shouldn't talk about this anymore. Let's concentrate on the mission." For the rest of the trip, both were quiet.  
  
  
"You wanted to see me, doctor?" The black-armored robot stood before the scientist at attention, his back straight and his arms to his side.   
"Yes, I do." The doctor reached for a button and pressed it, causing a painful jolt to start in the robot's body. The robot yelled in agony and fell to his knees. "The only reason I have not destroyed you is because of your form. I need it if my plans are to succeed." He released the button and the robot's pain subsided. "You're a one of a kind robot, my creation, perhaps my greatest one to date. You were difficult to make and you have certain powers I need. But be warned, if you disobey my orders again, I shall put you in the junk heap with all of the other robots that refused to do what I say. Is that understood?"  
"Yes, sir." The robot stood and snapped to attention once again.  
"Good. Now I assume the mission plan will go on without a hitch? How much longer until you leave?"  
"I should be leaving very soon. The mission will go as planned."  
"Good. You have everything you need?"  
"Yes, sir. I won't need any more schematics."  
"Alright, then. Go to it, robot." The doctor turned his chair. The robot turned and walked out of the man's office.  
He arrived at the repair station, and looked through a glass window at Roll, who was lying on a table, her wounds and cuts still bleeding.  
"Why isn't she being repaired?" He looked at a repair bot, who answered him in a monotone voice.  
"Damage is severe. Must wait until extra repair kits arrive. Will repair then."  
"If she doesn't survive because of some stupid repair kits, I'm holding you personally responsible." He gritted his teeth and walked away. He had to leave soon, and he would need to prepare.  
  
  
"You cannot stop me!" Ice Seal threw a giant ball of snow at Lyla, who quickly sliced through it with her spear. X charged up a fire blast and shot it at the maverick, destroying it. Both started back for the ship.  
"Didn't you find it odd that an ice reploid was occupying a forested area?" Lyla commented as X started up the thrusters.  
"I guess."  
As they started taking off, the ship shuddered violently and careened to one side.  
"What's going on?!" Lyla grabbed the sidebars that flanked her chair and held on.  
"We must have been sabotaged!" X grabbed the flightstick and pulled as hard as he could, trying to level the ship out, but he was unsuccessful. The ship hit the ground and skipped along the surface until it came to a lurching stop. X unhooked his seatbelt and checked Lyla. She was out cold. He tried his communicator, but all he got was static. Growling, he glanced out the window and saw what looked like a run-down building. It was a long shot, but perhaps there was something there he could use? He pried open the exit hatch and jumped to the ground. All around him he saw nothing but bleak flatness, like a desert. Even the building they were just in had disappeared. As he started walking to the building, the sound of his own footsteps filled his ears. The building was a mere three hundred yards away, but it seemed as though he walked much farther. When he finally reached the entrance, he was amazed to see that the door was shaped like the sealed door to a boss room.  
Meanwhile, at the ship, Lyla had awaken. Her head ached, but other than that, she had no injuries. She looked around for X, but didn't see him. Instead, she spotted the run-down building, and surmised that had been where X went. She left the ship and headed for it.  
The door opened as soon as X touched it. X entered the dark building cautiously, looking about at each step he took.  
Without warning, the place was illuminated brightly, temporarily blinding X. When X opened his eyes, standing before him was a red robot with long, blonde hair and green eyes.  
"You -- You're...?" X closed his eyes and the dream hit him hard, causing pain in his head. He fell to his knees as a hand went to his forehead. His eyes were shut tightly and his mind began to process memories that weren't there before. They flashed by quickly, revealing all of his past, hidden or otherwise, backwards. He saw Sigma and Zero's deaths, saw all of the mavericks and non-mavericks he killed, saw betrayers and friends, and he saw his creator, Dr. Light, sealing him inside of the capsule Dr. Cain found him in. This memory lingered the longest, and as he looked out through the transparent capsule wall, he saw Dr. Light killed by Zero while another, evil scientist looked on. Then he saw blackness.  
X opened his eyes and looked at Zero with mixed emotions. He was so glad that Zero was alive, but at the same time he didn't know Zero was dead. He was glad he had his memories back, but he now knew how his creator had died.  
"Z-Zero? You were... Created by Dr. Wily? And you're behind all of this!" X stood slowly, his legs barely holding him up.  
"You're that surprised?" Zero had a smug look on his face that made X angrier.  
"Why are you doing this? You used to be my best friend. I can't decide whether to shake your hand or shoot you." X shook his head.  
"I'll make it easy for you!" Zero reached over his shoulder and grabbed his beam saber, unsheathing it and slicing at X all in one movement.  
X didn't see the attack in time, and was hit straight on his chest. The wound wasn't serious, but it hurt enough to wake X out of his trance.  
"Zero! If you're really behind all of this, I have no choice but to stop it! I have to destroy you!" X aimed and fired his X-buster at Zero, who rolled out of the way. Zero then jumped at X, his beam sword swinging at his former friend. X deflected the attack with his arm, but still sustained damage. X raised his blaster and fired again, hitting Zero in the stomach. Zero fell back, but jumped to his feet and dashed toward his enemy. X jumped over Zero and shot at him again, but Zero blocked his blasts with his sword. X landed, and continued firing at Zero, who jumped left and right, narrowly dodging the attacks as he came closer and closer to X. X continued firing until the last second, and jumped over Zero's slashing saber. X aimed down and fired at Zero, but he jumped away from the blasts and landed on the other side of the room. X landed as well, directly across from Zero.   
Lyla, hearing the sounds of X and Zero fighting, rushed into the boss room. Her eyes went wide at what she saw.  
Both fighters gritted their teeth and jumped toward each other. As they passed each other in mid-air, X fired his blaster and Zero used his sword. Both landed hard, bringing each of them to one knee. X immediately stood and turned to face Zero, who was still kneeling and breathing heavily.  
"You've... Defeated me. Heh. But you should know... Not everything is as it seems." Zero laughed maniacally as his armor started to glow. Bright cracks grew all over his body, and the armor seemed to melt into the ground, revealing the person behind the disguise.  
The black and gold robot stood and faced the two hunters grinning.  
"X! He's --!" Lyla stepped back, speechless.  
"Well, well, X. See something familiar in my face, perhaps?" The evil robot laughed again, but this time his voice was completely different. Instead of Zero's boyish speech, the robot's real voice was harsh, but very familiar.  
"That -- That can't be!" X's eyes were wide as he saw the robot's face. It looked exactly like his own.  
"Dr. Wily will be disappointed in me for being defeated, but it was well worth it just to see your face. I'll see you again, X, if you survive the next batch of robot masters!" The robot jumped into the air, then vanished, leaving both X and Lyla in a state of shock.  
"X, are you alright?" Lyla placed her hand on his shoulder. X continued to stand, wide eyed and shaking a bit. "X?"  
X winced in pain and let out a scream as he dropped to the floor, unconscious.  
  
  
"X! What's wrong with you?!" Lyla shook him in an attempt to wake him up, but was unsuccessful. "X! Wake up, please!"  
Dr. Wily shut off the monitor, silencing Lyla's pleas. He turned to face the evil X and made a smile that only Wily could pull off.  
"So you were defeated, just as I planned. I've sent out the remaining robots to deal with those filthy, virus infested 'mavericks', though it looks as though we may not need them. Dr. Light's robot brain technology always was a bit flawed!" With that, he broke into insane laughter, causing the evil X to take a step back. Wily settled down enough to continue his debriefing. "I still want you to continue Roll's training. If that blue pencil sharpener of a robot happens to wake up, he'll come after us quickly."  
"But Roll is still being repaired, she isn't ready to --" Wily cut him off sharply.  
"Silence! Do as I say!"  
"Y-yes, sir." The robot turned and walked to the office door, then stopped when he heard his creator's voice again.  
"And do not repeat your actions from last time."  
X walked out of the office sneering.  
"Light was foolish enough to give his creation the option of living peacefully," Wily thought to himself. "But he was not so foolish as to make him weak. Light made X as the ultimate machine, for both peace and battle, thus he programmed him to be the most powerful robot in both respects. I fear that the part of him that has been active is the peaceful side. His warrior side may emerge when he wakes up. If that happens, he will destroy everything he perceives as a threat, without a care for anything else that gets in his way. He will become more dangerous than any of my own creations." Wily shook his head, trying to clear the thought away. Perhaps he was being too pessimistic. Anyway, if that happened, he would have an alternate plan to destroy the blue robot. His next creation would surely do the job if the others were unsuccessful.  
Wily turned in his chair to peer out a darkened window in the back of his office. Barely visible was a silhouette of something very large. Wily chuckled. Things would go his way, one way or another.  
  
  
X lay on a medical bed. His head armor was cracked, and various wires were connected to it. A steady beep and low hum were the only sounds in the room. Just outside stood Signas, Dr. Cain, and Lifesaver, the medical reploid.  
"I'm afraid I can't do anything, at least not until I get the test results back from the lab." Lifesaver crossed his arms.  
"We knew this would happen sooner or later." Dr. Cain sighed. "X's basic form was relatively easy to duplicate, but his brain proved to be impossible. Thus, I have little data on the inner workings. What I do know is that there are two very different sides to X. Which side will awaken and how it will act is a complete mystery to me. That is to say, if X wakes up at all."  
"I'm going to play it safe and place guards around this area, and two in front of X's room. If X does turn maverick," Signas looked in X's room and lowered his head. "Well, we'll be prepared." Signas walked away, Lifesaver and Dr. Cain following behind.  
Lyla had been sent ahead to finish her mission. She felt very uneasy about fighting the mavericks without X, but she felt she had to do her best. Lyla soon reached the power plant and disembarked, her beam spear at the ready. "I can do this," she said to herself. She ran into the plant and started her attack.  
  
  
Roll stood unsteadily next to the black robot, using his arm to keep from falling. They were in the large, dark room again, and Roll was trembling at the thought of having to fend off more of those mets.  
"Roll," X hesitated. "Roll, move to the center of the room." His eyes were fixed forward, as if he were trying to avoid looking at her. Roll slowly let go of X's arm and took several shaky steps forward until she was in the middle of the room. X glanced up at the doctor's control room, then turned his gaze to the ground.  
A spotlight appeared, illuminating a yellow met, and it started its attack, leaping at Roll. She was barely able to lift her arm to fire a blast at the thing. It was slow moving, and was caught by her attack.  
The black and gold robot leaned against the wall near the control panel, and finally looked at the girl in front of him. He didn't know how long this could last. Roll's energy was low already, and with this "training" she's going through, her mind would be ready, but her body may not.  
  
  
Lyla sliced through the last of the small robots and approached the boss door. She furrowed her brows at what she saw: the door was open. She held her spear at the ready and slowly entered the boss room. There, she was greeted by darkness and a strange sound. An electrical sound, she thought. Not an attack, but something else. She caught a glimpse of a few sparks from the far corner and went to investigate. She knelt by the source of the sparks and used her beam spear to illuminate the area. She gasped and fell back when she saw Watts Felis, completely torn apart.  
Lyla quickly composed herself and glanced around hurriedly for signs of another person. She could feel something moving around near her.  
"She wasn't difficult to defeat. You probably could have done it yourself. Forgive me for taking that pleasure away from you." The voice sounded more synthesized than a normal reploid's. Lyla couldn't tell where it came from, but she stood and turned just the same. "Let me introduce myself."  
The lights slowly activated, and Lyla saw the other. It looked to her like a short man in a light blue parka. He almost looked cute, and she would have laughed at its ridiculousness, had the situation been less serious.  
"I am called Ice Man. Now that you know my name, we can get started. Goodbye, reploid." With that, he jumped into the air and blasted at her with some form of ice beam. Lyla quickly jumped to the side and rolled, then came to a stop and stood. She jumped at the robot, and swung her spear. Ice Man shot a ball of frozen water at her, knocking the spear out of her hand. She looked to where her weapon fell, but in doing so took her eyes off of Ice Man. She fell towards him, and by the time she looked back at him it was too late. Ice Man had her in his grasp.  
Lyla clawed at Ice Man's cold hands, but was unsuccessful in releasing his grip. Ice Man threw her into a nearby wall, and, still holding her, slammed her into the ground. Lyla let out a cry of pain, then growled at the robot. Ice Man then picked her up and started to throw her to the other side of the room, but Lyla had different plans. As Ice Man released his grip to send her flying, Lyla grabbed one of his hands and pulled him with her, her momentum causing him to fall on his face. Lyla used this opportunity to nab her spear. She then turned and slashed at Ice Man, hoping to end the fight with this attack.  
Ice Man easily blocked the spear's beam with his arm, and shot an ice blast at Lyla's stomach, sending her flying back into a wall. She jumped back to her feet, and looked at the robot that had just blocked her finishing move.  
"How could you...?"  
"Your weak weapons are no match for me. Prepare to die!" He dashed at her, charging up a huge blast of cold energy. In that split second before his attack reached her, Lyla realized what was wrong.  
He's an ice robot, so why not use...? Lyla quickly switched her spear to emulate Fire Gila's weapon and slashed at the approaching enemy. Her beam saber sliced through his blast and fatally wounded the other robot. He flew backwards, then exploded in a mass of bright energy spheres. Lyla fell to one knee, using her spear for support. She was out of breath and hurt badly, but she had won. She smiled to herself, then walked back to the transport.  
  
  
Signas sat back in his chair, his neck arched so that he faced the ceiling. He faced a serious dilemma. If X went maverick, he would have to be hunted and killed, like any other bad reploid. But who would be able to hunt and kill X? After the death of Zero, X was the most powerful robot in the world. X had survived five encounters with Sigma, and had, with Zero, defeated him every time. But Zero was dead, and with the disbanding of the hunters, no one would be left to go after X. Perhaps X isn't as strong a robot without him? Or perhaps without Zero, X's mind will switch from peaceful to violent to make up for his lost comrade. For the first time in his life, Signas didn't know what to do. His highly-technological brain was the smartest in the world, but it couldn't figure out how he could save X and the world at the same time. Signas leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table, resting his head in his hands. His train of thought was interrupted by a communicator bleep.  
"Yes, what is it?" Signas raised his head and looked at the small video of Lifesaver that appeared in front of him.  
"I've just got the test results back from the lab. You should get down here right away."  
"What do the results say?"  
"They say that X is -- augh!" An explosion followed the reploid's scream, then the video went blank. Signas immediately stood and rushed out of his office and to the medical area where X was being kept.  
As he approached X's room, he saw several reploids lying on the floor, badly damaged, and a large piece of the exterior wall was missing. Signas skidded to a stop near the hole and he looked out for any sign of X. He saw him, sliding down the wall of a nearby tower. X landed on a deserted street and started to dash away from the base.  
"X! Please, come back, X!" Signas called after him, but X wasn't listening. Just then, he caught a glimpse of a transport ship heading for his direction. The ship approached the hole in the wall and the hatch opened. Lyla leaned out, her hair flowing in the wind.  
"What happened?" Lyla raised her voice over the loud sounds of the transport engines.  
"X..." Signas hesitated, not wanting to say what needed to be said.  
"What about him? Is he OK?"  
"X has gone maverick."  
Lyla's eyes went wide and her mouth fell open.  
"You're the new lead hunter, Lyla. Your primary mission is to seek and destroy X. I'm sorry, Lyla. It's the only way. He's headed east, last time I saw him. Go after him, now." Signas' commanding voice snapped Lyla out of her daze, and she closed the hatch. The transport pulled away from the base and turned, heading east. Signas watched the transport go, and shook his head. He heard a noise behind him, and turned, seeing Dr. Cain. The doctor looked at him with a kind of sadness and anger. Signas lowered his head and clenched his fists.  
"So, it's over for X?"  
"I'm afraid so, doctor." Signas looked to the floor and noticed a damaged clipboard. He reached down to pick it up.  
"What is it?"  
"X's test results." Signas flipped through some pages, his eyes widening at every graph and number. "This... This can't be!"  
The room exploded brightly, sending large chunks of the building falling to the street below. A dark sillhouette of a large, round machine moved slowly away from maverick headquarters.  
  
  
Armored Armadillo A stood in his boss room, waiting for X. He knew the robot would come, if only to be nostalgic. With his maverick status, he regained his memories from before he was destroyed. Armadillo wanted revenge on X. How easily X had killed him all those years before. But now he had better armor. He was able to withstand fifteen terawatts of electricity. That was a hundred times more energy than Spark Mandrill's weapon could have produced. Armadillo was ready for X. Unfortunately, X would not be the one to destroy him this time.  
The door opened, and Armadillo stood at the ready. The figure that entered was unknown to the reploid. It looked like a man wearing a black body suit with red sleeves and a large gold mask. A yellow lightning bolt glowed slightly on his chest.  
"Who are you? Where's X?" Armadillo was obviously annoyed, as he looked upon this stranger with caution.  
"X won't be joining ya today. Instead, I'll take ya on!" The robot's voice was tinny, and sounded very simplistic. Armadillo laughed.  
"You take me on? Ha!" Before Armadillo realized it, the robot had shot a wave of electricity at him. It hit, and as Armadillo flew back, electrocuted. His armor fell to pieces. "What the--?" Armadillo opened his eyes just in time to see the shot that would kill him. He saw blinding light, then eternal darkness.  
"Ha! Elec Man wins again!" Elec Man put his hands in the air in a triumphant pose.  
At nearly the same time, a large, brutish looking robot dispensed with Ballistic Eel, who was near the main seaport.  
"Weakling!" Guts Man grunted and folded his arms, a mean look on his face.  
Nearby, at the largest crop field on the continent, Lychen Hyphae exploded in a bright flash as Cut Man caught his boomerang-like scissors. The robot gloated,"I cut him down to size!"  
Finally, at the laboratory towers, the site of many maverick take-overs, a dark red robot finished off Hunter Forth.  
"Hmph!" Bomb Man tossed a bomb up and down in his hands, now waiting for his true enemy to come.  
  
  
"Dammit! How is he moving so quickly?" Lyla increased the transport's speed to full in an effort to catch up to X, who was quickly putting distance between them. Lyla looked down and spotted him, almost a mile away. Her superior reploid vision allowed her to easily see him as if he were close-up. X had a strange purplish glow to him. Lyla wasn't sure exactly if she was going to be able to take him down when the time came, but she knew the fight was coming soon. Her thoughts wandered to a few months before, when she had seen video footage of the final fight between X and the maverick hunter, Zero. It was top secret, and she shouldn't have even been within a mile of the screen, but she couldn't help but look in awe as the two most powerful robots faced off against each other. She could almost see the video as if it were right in front of her.   
"Zero... Had a glow like X's in that fight. Strange." She whispered quietly to herself, then she shook her head and looked back to X. He was gone. "What?! That little-- I guess I'll have to find him another way."  
  
  
Roll had finally been fully repaired, and her "training" intensified. Through all of this, she and X had warmed up to each other, becoming close friends even though they had only known each other for a short time. After a bit, Roll was able to talk X into letting her have a small break. When she caught her breath, she asked a simple question.  
"Who am I going to fight that I need all this 'training' for?" Roll looked at X and tilted her head to the side.  
"I guess it's only fair to tell you. Here, I'll show you a picture of him." He clicked on a nearby console and pressed a few buttons. Technical specs of a blue robot appeared on the screen. "You're going to be fighting this guy."  
Roll looked surprised. "But, he looks like you, kind of. That's weird. But I like your armor better. His is kinda dull."  
"Thanks, I think. Dr. Wily told me that his old rival built him. He didn't tell me much more about his history." He clicked off the screen and leaned next to the console.  
"Is he a badguy, then?" Roll leaned on the other side of the console, imitating X. He looked at her strangely when she asked that question.  
"A badguy? No--" He stopped himself. Why did the doctor program her to be like this? He rethought his reply. "Yes, he's the badguy." Short but to the point.  
"Oh. Then I wanna train some more so I can beat him! Let's get started again." Roll stood and moved to the center of the room. X pressed a button on the console, starting Roll's training. After the robots began their attack, X quietly stepped out of the room and headed for Dr. Wily's work room.  
"What is it, can't you see that I'm busy? There are still a few adjustments to be made..." The doctor was hunched over a small part of some immense object, soldering some wires together.  
"Tell me something. Why did you program Roll to act the way she's acting?"  
"I didn't."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I didn't program her at all. I merely made the body. Her mind is from one of Light's creations."  
"Why did you do it?"  
The doctor sighed, then put down his tools and turned to face his creation. "I felt she would be easier to control with that mindset. All I have to do is tell her that the blue robot is the evil one, and she'll do the rest. Wait, what's all this about? Did she ask about the enemy?"  
"Yes."  
"What did you say to her?"  
"I told her... I told her that X - the real X - was the 'badguy'."  
"Good work, then. You've done me a favor. Now it's your turn to tell me something. I would like to know: are you seeing a pattern to all of this? I'm just asking out of curiosity."  
"I do. The Zero disguise, my appearance, Roll, it all comes from X's past. But I still don't understand why you're doing this. X is merely a reploid like myself. How could you possibly 'mess with his mind' when he doesn't have a true personality?"  
"How could you be so naive? You are not a reploid. You and X and Roll and Zero are all original creations. Reploids are merely inferior machines made from X's design. Dr. Cain made the first reploids, but he is an unintelligent hack. You, like your fellow creations, have your own mind. Perhaps I'll someday regret telling you this, but you're even capable of feeling emotions. Light and I worked on the prototype model for the brains that control you robots. It was his own idea to put in the emotional part of you. We used that brain in our 'robot master' creations. It was our masterpiece. When we parted ways, I copied the model and replaced the emotional programming with my own deviant. But, when I made Zero's predecessor, I found a way to utilize the emotions that Light had put into the brain. By bringing out emotions such as anger, hate, and even competitiveness, I was able to create a powerful warrior. I used the data I collected from that robot and improved on it when I created Zero. Unfortunately, when I was creating him, my ego got the better of me. I put what you might call the 'Wily' part of his programming into the blue gem on his head. When that idiot, Sigma fought him for the first time, he damaged it badly. But, the programming still remained. When I made you, I didn't use all of the programming, however. Some of it was redundant, so I removed a lot of it. So, you have more freedom than Zero did when his original programming was active. All of these improvements I made on your brain are what make you a unique and very powerful robot. However, Light made improvements of his own, which ultimately resulted in his final creation: X. So, yes, I am able to 'mess with his mind', because he, like you, has one."  
X took all of this information in calmly, his face not revealing his mixed emotions. He stared at the doctor, not saying a word.  
"Perhaps I shouldn't have told you all of this. Ah, well." He turned his back to X and continued working on his wires.  
"Did you use the improved brain on Roll to make her more powerful?"  
Dr. Wily ignored the question, humming a strange tune to himself as he worked.  
"I see." X turned on his heels and walked out of the huge room.  
  
  
"So you're here, eh? Let's get this fight over with! When I'm through with you, Dr. Wily will be sure to give me that extra powerful generator I've always wanted!" Elec Man stood ready for fighting, small balls of electricity forming in his hands.   
On the other side of the room X stood ready as well, staring menacingly at the other robot as his body emitted a strong purple glow.  
Elec Man threw the charged bolts at X, who easily dodged them and started to dash at his foe. The black robot threw another two balls of electricity at his enemy.  
X aimed at the two projectiles and fired, his plasma shots destroying the energy. Elec Man started to charge another shot, but stopped when he felt something hit his stomach. He looked down and saw X's blaster, now charging for a powerful blast. He looked up at X's face. X's eyes were glowing brightly as the blue robot fired a large blast of energy through Elec Man's body, destroying him.  
Even before the bright energy spheres from Elec Man's body disappeared, X was gone. He hadn't even bothered to acquire the electric robot's weapon.  
Only a few minutes later, X arrived at the main seaport and faced Guts Man.  
"A little thing like you can't possibly match my strength! I'll be done with you--" Guts Man was interrupted by X's attack.   
X dashed right up to Guts Man and jumped off the ground, hitting Guts Man in the chin with his fist. X then twirled in mid-air and kicked the other robot, sending him flying back towards a wall. X charged his buster and fired at Guts Man, his blast reaching the robot and destroying him a mere inches from the far wall. Again, X left quickly, on to the large crop field.  
"I'll cut you down to size!" Cut Man threw his scissors at X.  
X ran at Cut Man, catching his scissors. The other robot's eyes went wide, and he turned to run. X threw the scissors at the fleeing automaton, cutting it in half. Cut Man split into many bright spheres of energy.  
X left the scene and quickly arrived at the tower laboratory. Instead of entering the tower, he kicked up the outside wall. When he reached the top, he found Bomb Man waiting for him. The dark red robot created a bomb in his hands and started to throw it, but instead was knocked down and pinned by X.  
"Where is Wily's fortress?" X aimed his buster at Bomb Man's face and awaited his answer. Bomb Man quickly replied.  
"I-it's at area 1049F i-in the mountain range!" The robot turned his head away from X, then, when nothing happened he looked again. X was gone. Bomb Man gave a sigh of relief until he noticed the bomb in his hand. He pulled back his arm to throw the explosive but he was too late. The bomb went off, destroying its own maker.  
  
  
As the alternate X stepped into the training room, Roll shot the last of the mets, destroying it. She looked over to X and put her hand up, making the "victory" gesture and smiling cheerfully.  
"Good job, Roll. You completed the training successfully. How about we take a break from all this fighting and--" A loud siren sounded, and with it, red warning lights appeared. A voice came on over the intercom.  
"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" That robotic voice stopped its warnings, and was replaced by Dr. Wily's harsh sound.  
"X is nearing the base! Roll, get to your starting room immediately." The alarms clicked off, but the red lights remained on.  
Roll started to rush through the door, but stopped when X grabbed her arm.  
"Wait! Roll, don't go. Don't fight that robot." X was pleading with Roll, his face showing his worry.  
"But I have to. Besides, I have all this training. I can defeat him!" Roll was cheery, as ever.  
"But Roll--"  
"X! Let go of her right now." Wily stood in the doorway, a small device in his hand.  
"But doctor, you know she won't- ah!" X cried out in pain as Wily pressed the button on his device. X fell to the floor and curled up in agony.  
"X! What's going on?" Roll knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
"Don't worry, my dear. He will be fine. It was merely a glitch in his programming. Now, I believe you have some work to do?" Wily grinned and stepped out of the doorway to let Roll through. Roll stood and, looking back at X every few steps, walked out of the room.  
When Roll was far enough away, Wily released the button on his device, ceasing X's torture.  
"You just don't learn, do you? Well, you will soon enough." Wily pressed a second button on his device, knocking X out.  
  
  
The blue robot was a blur as he entered the fortress, the purplish glow leaving a trail behind him. He had entered through what appeared to be a large hangar built into the side of a mountain. There were various robots scattered about, but X made short work of them. He hurried through the base, breaking through large steel doors and gates. Not too far into the mountain, he encountered his first boss room. He entered quickly, and the door shut tightly behind him. The room was pitch black except for X's glow. He stood there and waited for the enemy to show itself.  
Roll stood at the other end of the room, unseen by the blue robot. Instead of her usual cheery self, she had gone into a kind of "information mode" that activated the main analyzing and thinking features of her brain. She looked at him, thinking about the similarities between his face and her X's. In her mind she knew that it wasn't the same robot, but still, she might find it challenging to defeat him. Her eyes wandered to the strange aura that surrounded him. In the surveillance photos, there had been no such glow. What was different about him? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, building up her confidence.  
The emotional side of her brain activated only for a second, but long enough to make Roll realize what she felt for X. She would win this battle for him. Her thoughts were interrupted by the robot's voice.  
"Show yourself or I'll blast you out of hiding." His buster began to charge up, bright energy gathering at the opening of the barrel.  
"Th-that voice..." Roll whispered. She shook her head, trying to concentrate once more. Even if their faces and voices were the same, she knew she could defeat this robot.  
Lights activated in the ceiling, illuminating the large room brightly. X's charged shot dissipated as he saw his opponent. He lowered himself into a ready position and stared at Roll.  
"So, yet another one will die. Enjoy your final moments."  
"We'll see about that!" Roll, too, readied herself for the fight. She only wished that her X could be here to see her win against this robot.  
  
  
Wily's X opened his eyes to nearly complete blackness. His arms and legs were restrained, the shackles holding him upright against a wall. He struggled against them, but was unable to free himself. He glanced around, expecting to see nothing in this darkness. However, he did see one dim glow.  
The purplish glow wasn't too far away from him, but it looked slightly disfigured, perhaps there was something between him and the glow? He blinked a few times, his eyes adjusting to the light. Finally he recognized the glowing shape. Had the robot captured him? No, that wasn't it. What was going on?  
The blue robot's buster began charging as his lips moved. X couldn't quite hear what he was saying, though he could hear the sound of the charging weapon. X still didn't quite understand what was going on, until the ceiling lights activated, showing a large, brightly-lit room. Finally, he could see that he was in a smaller room, adjacent to the larger one, separated by glass. He looked at the glowing robot, then followed his gaze to find Roll standing on the opposite side of the room. X's eyes went wide as he struggled against the bonds once more.  
"Roll! Roll, stop! You can't win!" X yelled at the top of his voice, but his cries apparently had no effect on the two fighters. "What is going on here?"  
"I am forcing you to watch the fight." Wily's voice came from nowhere. X tilted his head around, but couldn't see much else.  
"Wily! Why are you doing this?"  
"I have my reasons. Just sit back and enjoy the show, X." His evil laughter was cut off as Wily turned off the intercom.  
X watched in horror as the fight began. Roll and the other robot dashed at each other.  
  
  
Finding X proved to be less difficult than Lyla had anticipated. She followed him by merely tracking all of the reports of damage to the surrounding area and robot fights. When she finally found a sort of "trail" left by the short but frequent fights X had been in, she followed it all the way to Wily's fortress. She disembarked from her ship and entered the large hangar, greeted only by silence and the remains of small robots that littered the ground. She hurried on through the fortress, coming upon numerous doorways that looked as if they'd been blown apart. She would have stopped to examine the burn marks, but she decided to continue on when she heard the sounds of fighting.  
  
  
The blue robot turned as he and Roll passed each other. He aimed and fired at her back, but Roll expected this and quickly moved out of the way. As she moved, she turned also, and fired back at X, who shot his own buster, hitting the other's blast. The meeting charges exploded brightly, blinding Roll. X closed his eyes and darted forward, punching Roll's abdomen while she couldn't see.  
In the adjoining room, the other X could do nothing but watch as the fight ensued. As the battle progressed, it became overwhelmingly apparent that Roll was completely outmatched. The blue robot landed hit after hit, damaging Roll's armor severely.  
Roll dove away from an incoming blast and came out running. She hurried away from X, jumping to the side every now and then to avoid a charged shot. When she thought she was far enough away, she skidded to a stop and turned to attack, but was caught offguard when she saw the blue robot right in front of her.  
X grabbed Roll's neck and lifted her off the ground. She struggled against his grip, hitting his arm again and again, but her blows had no effect.  
As X threw Roll across the room, the boss door opened, and in stepped Lyla. She spotted X, then Roll. Was X trying to kill that robot? She wanted to do something, but wasn't sure if the robot X was fighting was a maverick or not. She decided to wait.  
Roll pushed herself up slowly and stood. The room seemed like it was spinning. She held her head, and began to collect energy in her buster. She turned and looked at X, who had his blaster aimed at her. Roll raised her buster and fired her most powerful attack at him.  
X tried to move out of the way, but was struck by the ball of energy. The top part of his body was the focus of the blast, thus he was sent flipping backwards in the air. His helmet and chest armor cracked, and the red crystal on his head broke apart. With all of this damage, X managed to right himself quickly, and sent his own fully-charged blast at Roll. X's purple glow disappeared as he hit the far wall and fell to the ground.  
Roll was hit dead-on by X's blast. She let out a cry of pain as she flew backwards, hitting the floor and skidding to a stop.  
In the hidden room, the other X screamed and pulled at his bonds, finally shattering them. He broke through the one-way mirror and rushed to Roll. As he came to a stop he kneeled beside her and held her head up.  
"X? Is that you, X?" Roll smiled faintly and looked up at her friend.  
"Yes, Roll. It's me. A-are you alright?" He knew she wasn't. Her body was badly damaged.  
"I feel alright."  
The blue robot came to and sat up. He opened his eyes and looked at Roll and the black armored X, then stood and began walking toward them, this time not with intentions of violence. When he was close enough to hear what they were saying, Lyla intercepted him, her spear activated and ready.  
"X! It is my job as a maverick hunter to destroy you!" Lyla was determined to complete her mission.  
"Lyla, what are you doing? I'm not a maverick!" X took a step back, preparing himself for the inevitable fight.  
"I'm sorry, X, but I have to."  
"Roll, please don't leave me! I can't live without you." The robot held her hand tightly and shut his eyes, but was unable to hold back tears. "Roll, I--"  
Roll reached up and gently wiped a tear away from his cheek. "X, I love you..." Her eyes closed and her body fell limp, the gentle hand falling to the ground. The black robot set her down carefully and stood, his fists clenched tightly.  
"Now it's time for me to defeat you!" Lyla stepped toward her former partner and swung her spear, but before her weapon could reach X, she fell to the ground, dead.  
X looked at Lyla, then his gaze rose to see the other robot, whose blaster arm was pointed to where Lyla had been, the barrel still smoking.  
"X. I will make you pay for what you've done." The black robot looked at X with a maniacal grin, his eyes glowing red. He lowered his arm. "But not here. I'll see you soon, X." He teleported out, leaving X with only the sound of evil laughter.  
"Lyla..." X gritted his teeth and ran toward the room exit, heading deeper into Wily's fortress.  
  
  
"Ha! I've finally completed my greatest work ever! With this beautiful machine, the world shall belong to me forever!" Wily hopped out of his chair and entered the huge machine, closing the hatch behind him. He started his machine up for the second time. "Now, to see what my creation is up to." He flicked on a screen showing the small hidden cell. The chains were shattered and the glass was broken. "Hmph, I should've known. Where could he be?" He pressed a button, the view switching to a nearby hallway. Not seeing him there, Wily continued to press the button, each time activating a new view of his fortress. Finally, he stopped at the scene of the hallway next to his office. His creation was there, his blaster aimed at his own office door. "What is he doing?"  
The black robot's buster began to charge. When the robot fired, the video screen went blank.  
"That idiot tried to kill me." Wily shook his head. "It's no matter. With this new weapon I've created, nothing can stop me. Hm? What's this?" He looked at another screen, this one with an image of the blue robot on it. "So, he's not berserk anymore. X and my creation will finally fight. This might be interesting to watch." Wily leaned back in his command chair and stared at the two screens. "This might be very interesting indeed..."  
  
  
X continued through the base, passing hallway after hallway, his cracked blue armor clanging with each step. Finally he reached his destination: the final boss room. As he neared the door, it opened, and he stepped through.  
The room was at the very peak of the mountain. In fact, it wasn't really a room, but more like a platform. There was only one short wall which had the boss door in it. The rest of the "room" was all open, giving X a clear view of the surrounding mountains and forest. X also saw his counterpart, kneeling in the center of the room, his head lowered.  
"Come on. Let's get to it!" X stared at the figure before him and awaited a response.  
"Yes. You must pay for what you did to her." The robot continued to stare at the floor, not moving at all.  
X closed his eyes, images and memories rushing to his head. He used to be an advocator of peace. Perhaps he should continue being one, even after all of this.  
"Wait. Is that was Roll would have wnated?"  
"You have no idea! I loved her. She was the only thing in my life worth living for and now she's gone. You've taken her away from me. I'll take out my revenge on you." The robot stood and stared into X's eyes. "After that, I'll destroy this base and myself with it."  
X gritted his teeth and got ready. It was no use talking to him. X's armor was cracked, he wasn't yet recovered from his daze, and his energy was low. Could he win this fight? Perhaps a better question would be, should he win this fight? X stared at his counterpart. The other X. He looked the same, even had most of the same abilities. His mind then wandered. He thought of Dr. Light, his creator, killed by Zero. Zero, killed by Sigma. The maverick hunters will be no more. Why was he fighting? In most cases, he could come up with an answer, but as hard as he tried, he couldn't now. Could it be...? X stood straight and lowered his arms.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Perhaps it's time for my life to end as well. Everything I know is lost as well. There is no need for me anymore." X closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Kill me. Take your revenge for Roll. I deserve it."  
The black robot raised his buster and aimed it at X, a charged shot forming. He would not miss. His buster had become fully charged, one shot at anything with this kind of blast would disintegrate it. He looked down the glowing barrel of his blaster at the other robot. Why? Why was he just standing there? A tear rolled down his cheek as he prepared to fire.  
"Do it, quickly."  
The robot's buster faltered, shaking just slightly. For a long while, he just stared at X, the only sound was the hum of his weapon. Then, the hum disappeared.  
X opened his eyes and saw the other's arm drop to his side.  
"No, I won't kill you. I-I won't kill you or anyone else ever again. Roll wouldn't have wanted me to." His buster fell off of his arm and hit the floor with a loud thud. "I loved Roll. I would have done anything for her. I think... I know that living is what she wanted me to do." He smiled, just a small smile. He started to walk toward X.  
X sighed and walked toward the other, a smile forming on his own lips. Perhaps there was a reason to live after all.  
The black robot suddenly stopped, his eyes widening and his smile disappearing.  
X looked at him, his smiling face turning into a look of terror. The black robot flew forward, hitting the ground at X's feet. Behind him, X saw a large ship shaped like a skull. He yelled out, then kneeled next to the wounded robot.  
"X... You... can't defeat him the way you are now." He coughed, then went on. "You have to... kill me. I'm dead anyway. T-take my powers and add them to your own. It's the only-" His body tensed, then went limp.  
X closed his eyes and placed his hand on the robot's body. They started to glow, dimly at first, then very brightly. X's armor began to change. The cracks repaired themselves, and the blue hues began to darken. His shoulders and helmet grew gold spikes, and his red crystal appeared better than new. When the transformation was finished, X's armor resembled that of his counterpart's, only it was a dark blue instead of black. X stood and looked at Wily's vehicle menacingly.  
"It doesn't matter how much armor you have. You cannot destroy this vehicle. It is the most powerful in the world!" Wily's voice echoed through the room.  
"The most powerful. How did you come to that conclusion?"  
"Your commander and scientist friends seemed to think so." Wily laughed maniacally.  
"Signas... Dr. Cain?" X clenched fists shook with anger. "All of this death and destruction ends here!" X pushed off of his foot and dashed at Wily's craft.  
Wily unleashed a barrage of laser fire at X, but somehow the robot's armor deflected each blast.  
"This can't be! None of Light's creations could do this. How is this possible?" Wily continued to fire every last shot at X, but all of his attacks failed. He started to retreat, lifting the ship higher.  
As X neared the skull vehicle, he jumped and caught the edge of it just in time. He climbed up and found the hatch. The machine lurched from side to side as Wily desperately tried to shake his enemy off, but it was no use. X shot through the hatch and slipped inside the ship, right behind Wily, who turned in his chair to look at the robot.  
X began shooting at various consoles and hatches, destroying all he could see.  
"No, you mustn't! You'll rupture the core of the machine and kill us both!" Wily's eyes went wide at X's response.  
"So be it."  
"NO! I have to get to my escape pod..." Wily leapt from his chair and darted to another hatch and opened it. X rushed to stop him, but it was too late. Wily had already climbed inside and started the small engine. "HA! Looks like you'll be dying alone, X! Give my regards to Light!" The UFO pod shot from the side of the large ship, leaving a gaping hole where it launched from.  
X aimed his blaster through the opening and fired at Wily's saucer, barely managing to hit it. The pod continued to move away, but was now smoking.  
"What..? He hit my engine! Blast it, I'm going too slow!"  
X stood inside the falling ship and lowered his head, waiting to die. Then, something odd entered his mind.  
"I'm going to die... But I'm not going to die here!" X grabbed the sides of the opening and jumped out of the ship as it slammed into the ground and exploded in a bright flash that consumed X, the fortress, and Wily in his pod.  
When the light dissipated, the ship, X, and Wily were gone, and the mountain fortress was crumbling to the ground, the dust and rubble filling the air.  
X fell from the sky, landing hard on a nearby ledge. He fell to his knees and used his arms to keep him from faling. Pieces of his armor detatched and hit the ground, and finally, X's arms gave out. X dropped to the ground as everything around him went black.  
  
  
"X... X wake up." A familiar voice filled X's ears as he opened his eyes.  
X groaned and pushed himself to his feet. He checked his body to make sure it wasn't too badly damaged, but found no armor at all. Instead, he was wearing a light blue body suit, like an extension of the areas on his arms and legs that had no armor. He went to rub his head and found that he had hair, and ears.  
"This isn't possible. What's going on?"  
"X..." Appearing before X was Dr. Light. His translucent image was then joined by those of Zero, Iris, the Colonel, everyone who he knew was dead.  
"Am I dead too?" X took steps toward the group, but stopped when they answered him, all of them speaking as one.  
"Are you dead?"  
"If I am, then I'm glad. It was pointless for me to stay alive. I'm glad to be here with my friends." X smiled.  
"We would be glad to be with you, X." Zero stepped forward and spoke.  
"We will be with you someday." Dr. Cain walked to X and put a hand on his shoulder.  
"X, you are still needed. You can't give up yet." The other X spoke this time.  
"But the mavericks, they're all gone. What use am I anymore?"  
"There are things you can do besides fighting." The Colonel.  
"You should try to lead a normal life." Iris.  
"This was my gift to you. Goodbye, X."  
After Dr. Light spoke, all of them disappeared, leaving X in complete darkness.  
  
  
X opened his eyes to see the faces of two reploid doctors. He sat up and rubbed his head, but found that once again he adorned a helmet.  
"Where am I? What happened?"  
"We found you near Wily's mountain. It was a miracle. The only injuries you sustained were a few small cracks in your chest armor and helmet and the loss of the red gem on your head. We've fixed the cracks, but we can only replace the gem with a look-alike. It's been a week since then."  
"Then I'm alright?"  
"We do have one problem, though," One of the reploids said. "When we scanned your internal mechanisms for damage, we found that..."  
"What is it?"  
"What he's trying to say," The other leaned down closer to X. "Is that when we scanned your internal mechanisms, we found that you have none."  
"What?! What are you talking about? I'm just an empty shell?"  
"No, what we mean is... You don't have mechanisms, but you have organs. Our tests indicate that you're human."  
"I'm... Human?" X removed his helmet. He reached up and ran a hand through his hair. "But why...?" He remembered his dream. All of his friends. He whispered to himself. "Lead a normal life. Alright. I'll lead a normal life, in memory of all of my friends."  
"Sir?" One of the reploids looked at X with a strange face.  
"It's nothing." X smiled and layed back, folding his hands behind his head. A normal life.  
  
The End  
  
  
  
  
MORE NOTES:  
ALRIGHTY!!!! So, there are a few things to clear up here. It's 4:30am and I wanna finish this up before I go to sleep, so I'll start with the simple ones.   
1. Yes, Zero and Sigma are STILL dead.  
2. So I killed off Signas and Dr. Cain. What's it to ya?  
3. X's red gem? Yes, Dr. Light can have an ego, too.  
4. The ghosts in X's mind. Were they ghosts? ... I dunno, I'm asking YOU.  
5. "Zero's predecessor"? He probably means Bass...  
6. I thought it would be fitting to use the original robot masters in this story, seeing as how Wily was the villain. Sure, Wily didn't originally design these, but he did create the versions used in this story. His mistake was using the old programming...  
7. The design in my head for Nega-X (and the armored X at the end) was the "Ultimate Armor" used in X4 and X5. Actually, the cheat that lets you play as ultimate X in X4 started the whole "Nega-X" character in my mind, which led to this story. Nega-X's armor looks like a black version of it (though the gold trim is still there) while the armored X looks the same as in the games.  
8. Why Roll? Why not? I pictured the Roll used in this story to be a kind of cross between the old Roll, Legends Roll, and Iris. She has the head of the old one, the body of legends Roll, and has the same kind of dress as Iris.  
9. What actually happened between the times of the original series and the X series? No idea. I have theories though...  
10. Lyla said she was a second generation reploid, which basically means she was made by a reploid that was made by Dr. Cain. In my mind, most reploids are made by other reploids or humans that aren't quite as smart as Cain, and only the reploids made by Cain are the most powerful. This makes some sense, seeing as how Sigma was more powerful than any other reploid and Cain invented the things.  
11. It also makes sense that Cain was the one to invent a chip to stop reploids from turning maverick. Sure, Cossack tried to stop maverick-ism before, but let's face it, it was bound to fail.   
12. For any of you that are wondering, according to the timeline in my story, X was human at the end of X5, when Light "rebuilt" him. The ability to get reploids' weapons, extra programming, and memory blocks were caused by the red gem on his helmet, not by any internal mechanisms.  
I guess that's it. Yes, the maverick names were kinda cheesy. Oh well. Thanks for reading. If ya get the time, tell me what you think.  
Jon Carpenter  
June 6, 2001  
  
Any questions or comments can be sent to negax@msn.com.  
  



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